Clinic - Visitations

Genre rock Publisher Domino Records External Links Official Clinic Website Official Domino Records Website

For seven years now Clinic has sort of hidden out in the underground music scene much like they hide their faces behind those lovable surgeons mask. After releasing a couple of wonderfully fresh EPs and two solid albums the boys have lingered out on the fringes of real success for so long that some may have thought that they missed their window, especially after their third LP Winchester Cathedral turned out to be too weird for even the band's most dedicated fans, which would pretty much do most bands in for good. Well Clinic fans, don't write your favorite indie secret off just yet, the eccentric doctor imposters are back with a new album called Visitations that marks a return to the band's trademark alien disco punk sound. Visitations isn't Clinic's best album and it definitely isn't going to be "the one" for them, but it is a step back in the right direction after a stinker of a last album.

The opening track, "Family" lets us know immediately that they have decided to go back to the musical formula of quasi up-tempo space punk and Ade Blackburn's intense, shaky voice that had been working so well on the first two albums. However, although Clinic does return to their old form, Visitations is not without it's own experimentalism. Songs like "Animal/Human" and "Tusk" show throughout the album that even though the band might be willing to compromise on their sound that they don't have to take another step backwards.

But, in the end it's the songs that could have just as easily been first singles on Internal Wrangler and Walking With Thee that makes Visitations worth listening to. Harvest (within you) will probably get a video that will air on MTV's Subterranean once a week and maybe, just maybe, early in the mornings. But hey, that's better than nothing right?